Ice fishing: All about chilling

My first front pager (with a photo)!

• For many anglers, competition takes a back seat to having a good time.

By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff reporter

It was a blustery Saturday morning as anglers took their posts for the 25th year of ice fishing on Saratoga Lake.

The grind of ice augers occasionally pierced through decibels of wind gushing across the open landscape. Elk Mountain was hardly visible in the low-lying clouds. It was hard to know if the snow slapping against faces came from the sky or was swept from the ground by the wind.

Even Ryan Hildreth, the winner of the 24th annual Saratoga Lake Ice Fishing Derby from Berthoud, Colo., was motionless. Polar bearing, as it is called. Laying on the ice with nothing but a foam pad as insulation, he peered down into the lake. A tarp covered his head to enable better viewing of the water beneath. When a fish came into view, he would do his best to lure it to the bait, snap upward to snag the catch and reel it in.

Despite around 500 contestants on the ice that day, the scene seemed entirely too still.

That is, until tent flaps unzipped or doors opened, revealing individuals, couples and families huddled around ice holes and fishing lines, hiding from winds blowing in excess of 30 mph. Propane and wood stoves gave extra warmth, as did the well-known “liquid warmth,” a smattering of liquors and beer, which eased Wyoming’s frosty bite.

After spending time with these tent inhabitants, one is inclined to make nominations for awards other than “biggest fish.”

Chance and Kurt Esquibel led with the best party. From their tent, they called out, “Hey, come in here! We’ve got a heater and food. Oh, and grab a beer.”

The two brothers were just out for a good time with their family. Chance hailed from Cheyenne and Kurt was from Denver. They came with their father, Daniel, and their other brother Chad. Their uncle, Fred Garcia, and cousin, Isaac Garcia, were also in tow.

“It’s about a great steak dinner, the hot springs... we just like (the derby),” Chance Esquibel said. They freeze the fish they catch for a family fish fry in the summer.

To add to their day’s excitement, Isaac Garcia’s jacket caught on fire. He was standing too close to the heater, Kurt Esquibel said. “Next thing we knew, the little guy was darting across the ice like a little ball of fire.”

The men talked of the wind, a common theme of the day. “Sometimes you see guys who are setting up going sailing across the ice when there’s a lot of wind and it’s just the ice,” Chance Esquibel said. The amount of snow providing traction on the ice this year was unusual, but welcome.

John Bruce, his wife Ann and dog Budd, from Green River, took the prize for most interesting bait of the day — marshmallows. They enjoyed a bit of community on their corner of the ice as anglers intermingled between huts. Bruce was visited by Jim Shirey, also from Green River, and Mike Sims, an energy worker from Alabama.

Nearby, Mark Aragon stood outside his wooden shack, built with two-by-fours and mahogany plywood, “for the smell,” he said. For 10 years, he has hauled his hut onto the Saratoga ice to participate in the derby. The wood stove inside burns so warm he leaves the door and window open when he spends the night on the ice.

One of the most diehard anglers, Rock Springs resident Danny Ellifritz sat in the middle of the lake with his back against the wind. Not too far away were his sons, Luke and Cage. All three braved the weather with nothing but insulated underwear, heavy clothes and Arctic parkas, saying all they had to do to keep warm was retain warmth and ward off the wind.

It was their first time at the Saratoga derby. Luke may have been the most technologically advanced, catching the most fish out of the folks interviewed — seven by 2 p.m. He used a fishfinder to replace the polar bearing technique, moving his bait to lure whatever fish appeared on screen.

His demonstration won him a catch and revealed the success rate of fishing with the device. Removing the hook, he held up his catch for a photo before dropping it back into the water. “Not big enough,” he said.

The attendance at the derby was a bit smaller than last year, Saratoga Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Stacy Crimmins said.

“Even though Saturday weather was not very cooperative, everybody had a good time. We had smaller fish than usual, but it was a good derby overall,” she said.